Hood blankets are designed to reduce interior noise levels. A secondary purpose is to reduce hood temperatures, which can extend the long term life of your paint(on the hood). Any use as a fire deterrent is 'salesman talk' and has no basis in reality. Entry level cars seldom have hood blankets, midlines start to have them (especially on top trim levels), and high line products almost always have them. Once removed, you will not be able to reinstall the blanket as tightly and flush to the hood as the factory did the first time. This effectively traps the heat between the blanket and hood, thus the car seems to run hotter. If you really wanted a more scientific survey, you would need 95-97 both with and without hood blankets, 98-00 with and without hood blankets, as well as SVT's with and without hood blankets. This doesn't even take into account the Zetecs or ANY other modifications. If you want a louder car and don't care if
the paint eventually cracks and fades, REMOVE THE HOOD BLANKET!
Mark
